High-end workstation build
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Hi all!
New to the forum!
Sooo, here is the task at hand fellas!
I'm a design hobbyist, I’ve built my first 3 workstation computers in the past year and recently graduated in mechanical engineering, so I'm not a noob with the subject but also not an expert.
Now, a friend of mine that owns a private engineering company has asked me to build him a workstation that will flex the capabilities of his firm.
His definition of "flexing" is raw power, as well as being visually/aesthetically robust, with the goal of attracting new clients and contracts by creating the perception of potentially higher ceilings and expanded capabilities.
Long story short, I have until the launch of the new 10-core, Intel i7-6950X in early Q2 of 2016 to get all components of this workstation ready for ordering, after which I will build this bad boy myself in their headquarters! He has already approved the case I've chosen to build on and given the machine a name, appropriately, JARVIS.
http://thermaltakeusa.com/Chassis/Mid_Tower_/Core/C_00002732/Core_P5/design.htm
I'm not trying to spend $10K on this build, but if that turns out being the case, so be it.... If you catch my drift! We want to save where we can but not at the expense of pure quality. That being said, I have a strong feeling my greatest dilemma will be choosing which NVIDIA graphics solution to equip.
OK... now to the fun part.
For starters, the 3 workstations I've built (first WS build was mine, next 2 for college buddies and each more and more powerful) have ALL been optimized for SolidWorks 2015 CAD with occasional sims and rendering. All Windows 10 now, i7, Quadro K4200 and M4000. SolidWorks uses OpenGL, therefore, Quadro.
JARVIS will be outfitted with Linux Mint and potentially Windows 10 Pro, using the new Autodesk Inventor 2016 suite with Navisworks, among other add-ons, which from now on will be updated constantly, rather than new-year models of the software being launched. Seems to be the trend these days!
I have no experience with Linux.
This company’s current time agenda: large assemblies of all types, including large thermal systems, consumer product design, plant and factory design, and validation, as CQ is an engineering consulting firm with close to 100 clients. 90% CAD, 10% FEA, ANSYS flowsim, rendering, etc. As well, converting parts/assemblies or STEP files to and from other software like SolidWorks, CATIA, NX, etc. More rendering could be plausible, though, as they’ve shown interest in acquiring Navisworks, Autodesk VFX with 3DS Max, Maya, Flame, etc. From what I’ve seen, presentation and appearance are extremely valuable to gaining favor and can be the difference in convincing a client to shell out more than they expected by showing them a glimpse of the light…
From what I’ve read, Inventor doesn’t use OpenGL, so many users claim Quadro is unnecessary. I have no idea. I have heard good and bad ends of this spectrum, though most things I’ve read are dated. I use SolidWorks so the choice is easy for me: most Quadro you can afford. Autodesk is not SolidWorks, though.
The M6000 and the Titan X are competitive on the stat sheets. I’ll customize the liquid cooling for this build so heat is not a concern. Should I go Titan X, this is the candidate:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XEW3Y40?refRID=RW0BFZ44EFNDMMF3CEFS&ref_=pd_ybh_a_21
For me to select gaming graphics, I’m going to need some solid guarantees that it will not only handle everything thrown its way, but do it in a manner superior to a competitively priced Quadro M4000 or M5000, and close to equivalent of the M6000. Due to lack of experience with the software, I cannot confirm whether Autodesk is capable of taking advantage of SLI or Quadro Sync.
Anybody with experience on this topic please chime in!!!
As well, with each subsequent WS I've built, I chose to max out the mobo's RAM capacity as I (and my buddies as a result) am an advocate of 3Dconnexion's SpaceMouse Pro. This allows you to free up your standard 2D mouse for selection and commands while seamless navigating the view port in 6 axes/directions, simultaneously… If you’ve got the ram to prevent lagging. This, of course, is also dependent on the size/complexity of the part/assembly at hand. Some say 16 GB is enough RAM and 32 is overkill. Not the case when this hardware is in use. Given a large assembly around 2000 parts, on the best WS I’ve built so far, (which has 64 GB of HyperX DDR4 @ 2333 MHz on ASUS X99-A mobo, i7-5960X, Quadro M4000 and all OS and programs installed on 4 x Intel 730 SSD’s in RAID0) all I have to do to max out the RAM is turn on ambient occlusion and rotate the assembly with the 3D mouse.
This is why, in any scenario, 128 GB of DDR4 RAM will be equipped, most likely to this mobo:
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/X99E_WSUSB_31/overview/
Unless there is a better option.
Which is why I’m here!
I would love all the input I can get from those with some unbiased opinions!
Here are the other component options I'm looking at so far:
PSU:
Corsair Professional Series AX 1200i Watt Digital ATX
RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 3200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232090
Probably both of these:
Intel 750 Series AIC 1.2TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 MLC Internal Solid State Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167363
Samsung 950 PRO M.2 512GB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W03JY5023
Cooling:
Thermaltake RL480 Radiator
XSPC D5 Photon 270 Reservoir / Pump Combo
XSPC RayStorm Pro WaterBlock (CPU)
Cooler Master JetFlo 120
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E20SSZ8?refRID=HVE44DKVDK74DJ66A7HZ&ref_=pd_ybh_a_22
Antimicrobial .999 Fine Silver Strip
GPU: Quadro
M4000
M5000
M6000
Total price of everything but graphics is approx. $4,550
Also, would it be possible to run a program or programs at the same time using something like a W8100 for anything with OpenGL and/or software certifications/requirements and have 2 Titan X's in SLI for rendering a video editing? At the same time?
Is the W8100 better than the M4000?
Sorry for the length of the post! I wanted to make sure I hit most of the points at once...
Thanks all!